The present invention pertains to a method for increasing the viscosity of or gelling liquid compositions and to the resultant compositions which have been increased in viscosity or gelled.
Urea has been known as a gelling agent for liquid materials, however, since the urea is a solid, the liquid material has to be heated for extended periods of time to dissolve enough of the urea to cause gellation or an increase in viscosity. It has now been discovered that if the urea is dissolved in a relatively low molecular weight hydroxyl-containing material and then adding this solution to the relatively high molecular weight material that it is not necessary to heat the relatively high molecular weight material and the time required for gellation is reduced.